As Black as Ebony by Salla Simukka

her tormentors and moved to Tampere, a small part of Lumikki thirsted for revenge and a feeling that evil had received its reward. Because of Anna-Sofia and Vanessa, she had spent years wishing she could be dead instead of having to endure their torture.
    Justified revenge.
    If Lumikki had just stayed home and gone back to sleep and Anna-Sofia had really died, she would have felt responsible. She would be guilty because a part of her wanted it.
    Still five minutes left. Lumikki pounded along the street. She was just coming to the footbridge that led over the river to the park with the palace. The bridge was wet. The cold, damp air was rough on her lungs. But she would make it. She had to make it.
    This park wasn’t one of Lumikki’s favorite places. It was beautiful enough, with a long history since it was built on nearly bare rock back in the early eighteen hundreds. In the summer, it was intoxicatingly green and had amazing views out over the lake. There were all kinds of different rock-dwelling plants, fences built from river stones, and the park even had Finland’s biggest poplar tree. Under different conditions, Lumikki would have thought it was the best park in Tampere.
    But Blaze had dumped her here. That was why Lumikki could never come here without experiencing a confused mixture of sadness and anxiety. And tonight, the park was black and silent as the grave. A nightmare park.
    The palace rose white and woefully run-down in the center of the park, on the highest spot, in stately solitude. Lumikki’s lungs hurt as she expended the last of her strength on the uphill sprint.
    Milavida. That was the original, melodious name of the place. Milavida’s history was tragic. The owner of the Finlayson textile factory, Wilhelm von Nottbeck’s son, Peter von Nottbeck, had built it as a replacement for the family’s previous house, a villa next to the rocky hill. However, the Nottbeck family never lived in their new house, which was completed in 1898, because Peter’s wife, Olga, died giving birth to twins and Peter died six months later after an appendix operation in a Paris hospital. The palace was sold to the City of Tampere in 1905. In the black December night, Milavida looked like the ethereal ghost of a building. A palace of specters. Perhaps the Nottbecks had moved in after all following their deaths.
    Lumikki looked at her phone. She had made it in time. She felt like screaming for her stalker to come out and show himself at last. Just then, a new text message arrived.
    One minute early. You were faster than I expected. You’ve earned your reward. In the foundation of the palace on the left side with your back to the lake is a small hole. There’s something for you there.
    First, a game of tag and now, hide-and-seek. The stalker must have been getting some sick pleasure from this. Lumikki went to the left end of the building and started feeling along the cold stone foundation with her fingers. Nothing. No hole. She was getting tired of this. Then, just as she was giving up and her fingers were losing all feeling, she found a crack almost at ground level. She pushed her fingers in and caught hold of something metal. Lumikki pulled it out.
    In her hand lay a small brass key.
    Congratulations. This is the key to the great secret of your life. I’m sure once you remember enough you’ll also remember what the key goes to. But now it’s time for you to go make sure your prince is sleeping safely. You wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to him. Even if he isn’t your one true love.
    Lumikki never would have thought she could run back even faster. Fear gave her wings. If this lunatic did anything to Sampsa . . .
    At home, everything was as it should have been. Sampsa was asleep in bed. Lumikki took off her clothes, crumpled up the note about going on a walk and threw it in the trash, and snuck back into bed. In his sleep, Sampsa turned over and hugged her. His bangs were moist. Had he had a nightmare and been